Back to Master 3PL Guide

Managing Pre-orders
on FedEx Logistics

FedEx Logistics

|

Visit Website

FedEx Logistics is a global logistics provider offering supply chain solutions, warehousing, and distribution. It does not provide a direct Shopify integration for automatic product/order syncing, but it supports full or partial fulfillment and has “hold until ready” functionalities. Merchants often rely on third-party tools or the FedEx Ship Manager™ platform to synchronize e-commerce orders and manage shipping labels.

This guide will break down how FedEx Logistics handles key pre-order functions like negative stock, Shopify’s “On Hold” status, and fulfilment workflows—so you’ll know what to expect, where it excels, and any workarounds you may need.

How 3PLs and pre-orders work together in the modern ecommerce stack

Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers specialize in managing your fulfillment from start to finish. They:

Receive and store products in their warehouses
Pick and pack orders
Ship to customers using their own software that syncs with your ecommerce platform

Below is a typical flow. Click through to see how Shopify, the 3PL and pre-order application interact.

1

Inventory Sync

The 3PL continuously syncs inventory from either your ERP or Ecommerce platform

Key Considerations for Managing Pre-orders on FedEx Logistics

In the diagram above you may have noticed the word “should” being used a couple of times… That’s because not all 3PLs fully support Shopify’s pre-order features out of the box. Some may lack support for negative inventory counts or fail to respect Shopify’s “On Hold” order status, requiring workarounds or additional configuration.

If your store uses an ERP, it often instructs the 3PL on which orders to fulfill—meaning you might not need all of the 3PL’s features we’re about to go through.

Read on to see how FedEx Logistics interacts with Shopify pre-orders and what you might need to adjust.

Syncing Shopify Products and Inventory

FedEx Logistics is often integrated into Shopify integration via FedEx Ship Manager™ or a third-party connector. These solutions are responsible for syncing any Shopify product data with FedEx Logistics services.

Syncing Shopify Orders

No direct Shopify order sync is offered. However, merchants can integrate e-commerce data into FedEx Logistics via third-party systems or the FedEx Ship Manager™ (FSM) to import and manage orders.

Resources:

• FedEx Ship Manager™

Custom Workflows with Shopify Tags and Metafields

This would be the responsibility of the connector. Currently FedEx Ship Manager™ doesn’t advertise any automation tools, but other third-party connectors may.

Respecting Shopify’s “On Hold” Status

FedEx Logistics does not automatically respect Shopify’s “on hold” status, as there is no direct integration. You can manually manage holds through one of the third-party connectors.

Pre-Order-Specific Features

There are no pre-order specific features, these concerns would need to be handled on the connector or ERP/platform level.

Partial Order fulfillment

Yes, FedEx Logistics can accommodate partial fulfillment through FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics®, letting you ship part of an order now and the remainder later.
• Partial Shipment: Items can be fulfilled in stages
• Flexible Distribution: Matches your inventory availability

Resources:

• Critical Inventory Logistics

Re-syncs orders from platform

FedEx Logistics can re-sync orders or updates through its integration capabilities in FedEx Ship Manager™. Changes on your e-commerce platform can be reflected if you have a connector that pushes updates to FSM or GOL. Direct real-time syncing with Shopify alone is not offered.

Resources:

• FedEx Ship Manager™

Summary

FedEx Logistics support for
Shopify Pre-orders

Pre-order touchpoint	FedEx Logistics support
Products sync with Shopify	⚠️ No direct product sync with Shopify—requires third-party solutions
Orders sync with Shopify	⚠️ No native Shopify order import—integrations needed
Negative custom workflows or automations	⚠️ GOL or FSM can handle some custom flows, but Shopify data requires a connector
Shopify “On Hold” status recognition	⚠️ Does not automatically respect “on hold” from Shopify—manage holds in GOL or externally
Specific pre-order support	⚠️/✅ Connector platforms handle automations
partial order fulfilment	✅ FedEx Critical Inventory Logistics® allows partial shipments
Re-syncs orders	⚠️/✅ Real-time or manual sync possible with connector—no direct plugin

Strengths & Limitations

✅ Strengths
• Feature responsibility is pushed onto the connector (e.g. FedEx Ship Manager™) giving choice of solution

⚠️ Limitations
• No direct integration for products/orders
• Cannot handle negative inventory

Next steps